ecology calls this “total body load,” that is to say the total of all chemical, alimentary, physical, and psychological stressors and/or damage to which human beings are exposed via the environment. An organism inevitably reacts to these stressors by creating manifold illnesses that manifest themselves—though only partly—as hypersensitivities of a type of allergy.
Klemens von Pirquet, a famous pediatrician in his time, coined the term allergy about 100 years ago. In the classical definition, accepted even today by scientific allergology, allergy signifies:
”Sensitization causing a different reaction to a substance.”
Becoming increasingly popularized, the term lost its accuracy over the course of the years and is now used very generally for any kind of hypersensitivity, intolerability, or rejection.
Even in medicine the term is used vaguely and more often erroneously. In particular the proponents of the previously mentioned “clinical ecology”— researchers mainly established in the United States and working primarily empirically—use the term rather broadly. It is believed that hypersensitivities to foods and chemicals are the main causes of chronic illnesses and psychological disturbances (Randolph 1962, Mackarness 1986, Runow 1987, etc.). The term allergy is increasingly applied to any damage or negative influences in any way connected to the environment. It would be more correct to describe this as a clinical ecological syndrome. This mixing of terminology often causes misunderstandings with the supporters of clinical immunology who endeavor to limit the term to verifiable immunological processes.
The discovery of immunoglobulin E (IgE) clarified the interfacings of the actual allergy.
”Allergic reactions are caused by the allergen interacting with IgE antibodies, bound to mast cell receptors and basophilic leukocytes, and the subsequent release of mediators” (Ring 1982).
Hopes to be able to clearly delimit and declare allergic illnesses as such, by means of IgE test methodologies, were only partially realized. Thanks to many exact and controlled studies, we know now that the correlation between a positive test result of specific IgE antibodies (e. g., through serological and/or skin tests) and clinical symptomatology is often insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. Many food allergies fall into this category. Due to frequently negative test results, food allergies are often classified as non-allergic or pseudo-allergic even though all other criteria of an allergy are present.
A clear and scientifically unmistakable definition of the term allergy remains illusive.
Clinical allergology often uses the expression atopic allergies, which includes the genetic aspect. The term atopy, coined by Coca and Cooke in 1923, was meant to describe different experiences with allergies in human beings. These observations have also been made with animals. The term was finally accepted as the description for a congenital and inherited susceptibility to an allergen. The patient is sensitized to certain allergens and reacts to them according to clearly defined pathologies such as allergic asthma, urticaria, hay fever, perennial allergic bronchitis, rhinitis, and neurodermatitis.
The common thread among these clinical pictures is that they are undoubtedly allergic in nature and occur individually or combined in human beings that are genetically predisposed to allergies (atopics). To be included in this group a positive test of specific IgE antibodies is not absolutely necessary, as the example of neurodermatitis shows. Due to negative test results, dermatologists consider neurodermatitis a skin disorder of unknown origin. Many allergologists, however, regard it as an allergy as it is clearly an atopic illness. In this book, we use the term allergy in the sense of atopic allergies. We are following in the footsteps of the classical definition of clinical allergology. However, here we emphasize the characteristic and undoubtedly allergic pathology. We do not require positive IgE test results, whether serologically or otherwise obtained. As regards the necessity of a clear definition of the term allergy, we concur with the English immunologist D. Freed:
”Anybody who uses the word ‘allergy' ought to make sure that all participants in the conversation share the same definition of the term!” (Freed 1986)
If historians are to be believed, allergies are as old as human beings. Old writings report that allergies are not new to our times, even if diagnosing their symptoms depended on the Zeitgeist and ideas of the day.
The first record of an anaphylactic allergic reaction and ensuing death is from the third millennium BC. The Egyptian Pharaoh Menes died from a wasp sting in 2540 BC. The Papyrus of Ebers, dating back to about 1600 BC, clearly describes allergic asthma. Hippocrates, however, coined the actual term asthma more than 1000 years later.
Physicians of Classical Greece seemed to have been quite familiar with allergies, even though they did not know what caused these mysterious reactions. Ptolemaios called them idiosyncrasies. At the time this was meant to describe a particular mix of bodily fluids that denoted neither a state of health, “eucrasia,” nor illness, “dyscrasia.”
Even the powerful emperors of Rome had allergies. Both Augustus and Claudius are said to have had symptoms like asthma, chronic rhinitis, and atopic eczema.
Historians report that Richard III broke out in a rash and had edema after eating strawberries. The symptoms were thought to be the effects of poisoning. The king used this opportunity as a welcome excuse to have a disliked lord executed on grounds of poisoning.
Hay fever was already well-known in the Middle Ages. Occurring when roses were in bloom, it was called rose fever. Hay and grass were also suspected causes of the peculiar seasonal symptoms. In the 19th century, people were already talking about “hay fever” without knowing any details. In 1873, experimenting on himself, the English physician C. H. Blackley was able to prove that pollen in the air caused the mysterious symptoms. He was the first to conduct skin and provocation tests. His exact experiments introduced a new era of allergy research: The steady illumination of the various pathophysiological allergy mechanisms was brought about by scientific studies and experimentation. The independent specialties of clinical immunology and allergology came into being. By the end of the 20th century it was difficult to keep abreast of the enormous field of knowledge they had developed.
Scientific research conducted over the course of almost a century has created an incredibly impressive database of knowledge. One would think this sufficient to solve, if not all, at least the most important practical problems relating to allergies. Surprisingly, and maybe significantly, this is not the case.
Millions of allergy sufferers know very well that true healing is elusive despite many time-consuming therapy attempts that are often dangerous for and place stress on the body. Hundreds of thousands of physicians, even the most specialized allergologists, experience daily the frustration of not being able to provide relief to their patients.
Very recently, W. Aberer, an experienced clinical dermatologist and allergologist, has resigned himself to consider “allergies a chronic illness that cannot be cured and for which medicine has not yet discovered an easy solution.” He laments therefore that, “people are increasingly turning to alternative medicine whose motives are often, this is well known, commercially
